Home » Press Releases

Press Releases - 2003

Thomson CenterWatch Survey Reveals U.S. Clinical Researchers Rate GlaxoSmithKline, Eli Lilly and Pfizer Top Sponsors

BOSTON, MA - June 10, 2003 - Thomson CenterWatch, a part of The Thomson Corporation (TSX: TOC; NYSE: TOC) today released recent survey results showing GlaxoSmithKline, Eli Lilly and Pfizer are rated the top three pharmaceutical companies by the research centers that conduct their clinical trials.

In order to develop promising new drugs efficiently and effectively, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies rely heavily on the quality of their working relationships with the research centers that enroll and care for patients in clinical trials. The results of this recent CenterWatch survey indicate that research sponsors have done a good job of maintaining - but not improving - the effectiveness of their collaborations. Protocol design, query handling, subject recruitment support and the study grant payment process continue to receive poor ratings from investigative sites. For example, only one out of three research centers gives sponsors top ratings for the quality of their study protocols despite the importance of this activity to the success of clinical trials.

The 2003 CenterWatch Relationship Quality Survey was conducted between January and March of 2003. Research investigators and study staff were asked to rate sponsors with which they have worked during the past two years across a variety of relationship attributes. In all, more than 40 biopharmaceutical companies are rated by 367 investigative sites in the 2003 survey. Results are compared with those from similar CenterWatch surveys conducted in 1997, 1999 and 2001. Analyses of the survey results along with a discussion of company best and worst practices are published in the June issue of the CenterWatch newsletter.

"Most sponsors continue to receive mediocre ratings from their clinical investigators and study staff," said Dr. Mary Jo Lamberti, manager of Market Intelligence at CenterWatch, "but there are clearly areas where improvements have been made. Likewise, there are areas where companies are falling short. Ideally, research sponsors can use the survey results as a blueprint to identify ways to improve their relationship quality and effectiveness. In the coming weeks, we will be meeting with a number of sponsor companies to review their specific survey results."

"Clinical trials are very much a relationship business," said Steve Zisson, managing editor of the CenterWatch newsletter. "Inefficient collaborations between sponsors and investigative sites mean higher drug development costs and may also mean lost revenue. In today’s difficult economic environment, there are many ways that biopharmaceutical companies can better leverage their relationships with investigative sites in order to improve performance."

To order a copy of the June issue of CenterWatch, visit www.centerwatch.com or call 800-765-9647. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies interested in receiving a comprehensive report on the results of the 2003 CenterWatch Relationship Quality Survey should contact Rick Lavallee, Director of Sales, at (617) 948-5126. Custom reports can be prepared that present company-specific results compared with industry benchmarks and historical results.

ABOUT THOMSON CENTERWATCH
With a specific focus on the clinical trials industry, CenterWatch (www.centerwatch.com) is a Boston-based publishing and information services company that provides business reports and newsletters, reference databases, accredited training manuals, original research & analysis, and market intelligence services to assist organizations in managing and implementing clinical research strategies and operational initiatives. CenterWatch is a business of The Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com). The Thomson Corporation, with 2002 revenues of $7.8 billion, is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers. Thomson provides value-added information, software tools and applications to more than 20 million users in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate training and assessment, scientific research and healthcare. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges (TSX: TOC; NYSE: TOC).

###